Enhancing a STEM Program to Foster the Inclusion of People with Visual Disabilities

This study presents the preliminary results of a STEM program designed to promote the inclusion of individuals with visual disabilities. Although some of the tools used are popular to design any 3D model, the focus here is to fabricate 3D plates with Braille signs and a haptic map at an educational institution that can be used by people with visual disabilities. Both high school and university students attended a series of workshops to learn about FreeCAD and all the steps necessary to print a 3D model. A survey was applied at the beginning and the end of the workshops to measure the effectiveness of the program in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics and how this may improve the quality of life of people with disabilities. The results showed a higher increment in the areas of Science and Mathematics for both high school and university students while a lower raise was observed for the Technology and Engineering areas.